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Mike Clarke:Underground canals in British mines

As water drainage in mines was always costly, the mining companies were also always on the lookout for efficient methods of using the water for power transmission or transportation. However, it was not until the middle of the 18th century that the transportation of coal and other minerals by boat in British mines began on a wider scale.The article gives an overview of the historical development of the construction in British mines of tunnels which could be negotiated by boat. It differentiates between non-ferrous mines, chalk mines and collieries and finally describes the construction of the tunnel at the Worsely colliery near Manchester. The author deals in particular with the question of whether the technique used in this tunnel was a model for similar projects on the Continent.